“THE CHAIR OF PETER IS OCCUPIED BY A MAN WHO APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN VALIDLY ELECTED TO THE PAPACY, IS UNIVERSALLY RECOGNIZED AS A SUCCESSOR OF PETER, AND YET, DE FACTO, IS A KIND OF ANTIPOPE IN TERMS OF HIS WORDS AND DEEDS.”

FERRARA: WHAT WE ARE NOW WITNESSING IS SOMETHING OTHER THAN MERE SEDEVACANTISM. WHAT EXACTLY IT IS, ONLY HISTORY WILL TELL. BUT IT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THE CHURCH HAS NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

YOUR EMINENCES, CAN WE PLEASE GET SOME ACTION ON THAT FORMAL CORRECTION OF AMORIS LAETITIA BEFORE YOU GUYS GET FREDO-ED?

ITS SEEMS TO THIS WRITER THAT CARDINALS BURKE AND BRANDMULLER SHOULD AVAIL THEMSELVES OF FOOD-TASTERS, BODY-GUARDS AND BULLET VESTS UNDER THEIR ALBS AND IF YOU THINK I’M WEARING A TIN-FOILED HAT THEN YOU’VE NOT STUDIED HISTORY.

My 87 year old mother, a devout Catholic, says she loves Francis and thinks Blase Cupich is ‘conservative.’ I asked her recently where she gets her news on the Church and she said, “Television.”

My fear is that she and others would follow Francis if formal schism occurs. I think Francis, “the Humble Reformer,” regrettably controls the narrative and as Pope would likely retain the Vatican, its holdings and media outlets, and accordingly, the appearance of the authentic Church.

It wasn’t long ago when the mainstream media branded Cardinal Burke and his ilk as “the far-right rot” to be cleansed. And this in spite of the fact that the cardinals clearly hold the moral high ground on Amoris.

I get my religious news here and on other sites where thought leaders aren’t afraid to voice concerns about Church hierarchy and Church direction. And I tend to steer clear of those sites where ‘journalists’ are blindly loyal to Francis et al. and act as mouthpieces to affirm or further his destructive agenda.

But it’s become clear that even among those who agree that Francis is a disaster and should be dealt with, divisions are present. Whether these rifts are due to theological disagreements, reluctant obeisance, competition, ambivalence or even pride isn’t always clear. Whatever the cause, can there be any doubt that Francis is happy divisions among ‘traditionalists’ exist because they don’t allow for an opposition with a united front?

In this time of crisis, isn’t there more to unite Catholics than to divide them? How does this situation get resolved?

I’ve always felt that fights and disagreements have to be caused by some evil. In any argument, one side is always more wrong and at fault. If not, there’d be peace. So, yes. I agree that Francis is happy when faithful Catholics disagree, because it means some evil has been sown among them and taken root.

So the peaceful resolution to conflict isn’t silent submission to evil. It’s conversion of the offending party. Pressure must be applied, always and everywhere, even at the top of the Church.

You gentlemen are remiss if you don’t gently and with tact try to enlighten your mothers. Unless of course they have Alzheimer’s. I don’t mean devastate their faith, but why not ask some mildly provocative questions? Food for mom’s thought. For example: Mom, how do you interpret Francis’ statement “who am I to judge” about gays? Mom, what do you think about Francis saying that God sometimes asks people to remain in sin given their circumstances? Why do they love Francis? Do they lack a scintilla of Catholic sense? Are they poorly catechized? Are they simple?

We are to instruct the ignorant. Why allow your mother to remain in a bubble surrounded by fake papal news? I imagine you are adopting the attitude ignorance is bliss.